Local Company Files Complaint Against Medical Marijuana Licensee

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FORT SMITH (KFSM) --A River Valley medical marijuana cultivation center applicant is accusing a group awarded a facility of putting false information in its application.

Storm Nolan’s attorney has sent a letter to the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission, asking them to investigate the five cultivation facilities selected. It specifically accuses Delta Medical Cannabis Company of lying on the application.

Nolan, the co-founder of River Valley Relief, did not get the bid. He is one of the next in line if one of the five awarded companies falls through. The letter alleges Delta Medical Cannabis Company had misleading and fraudulent information on the application. Delta came in fifth place.

“This is not sour grapes,” Nolan said. “We were prepared to lose fair and square.”

Nolan said he initially got a tip about misleading information Delta submitted.

“That was brought to our attention and of course before we went public with it, we did our own verification to make sure it was accurate,” Nolan explain.

The letter accuses the Jonesboro based company’s operations specialist Jeff Botkin of lying about his medical marijuana industry experience and qualifications.

“We certainly think it merits investigation, and the reason it's so important is because there will only be five cultivators for our whole state,” Nolan said.

Nolan’s group River Valley Relief tied for sixth place.

“I was completely 100 percent okay with it until we sort of started digging a little bit more,” he said.

Nolan and his attorney are asking the commission to delay the final award of the cultivation licenses until the investigation they are asking for is complete.

“Now we've got the fire in our belly, just to make sure the thing was done right,” he said. “I think that's the most important thing. That's all we're asking for. We want to make sure the process was done well.”

5NEWS reached out to Delta Medical Cannabis Company and Botkin about the allegations in the letter, but we have not heard back.

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission said it received several complaints that will be addressed at a meeting at the Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control Board office in Little Rock at 5 p.m. Wednesday.